Short Science Summary: Raptor Monitoring and Minimization Technologies

In June 2023, the International Energy Agency Wind Task 34—Working Together to Resolve the Environmental Effects of Wind Energy (WREN)—organized a forum to discuss monitoring and minimization strategies used to study raptor interactions with wind energy facilities. The forum included experts in raptor movement and behavior, minimization measures, technology validation, and wind energy development from four countries. The experts represented a range of international stakeholder groups including private industry, financial institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and wildlife consultants. This educational brief summarizes the discussion during the forum and written comments from additional participants who could not attend the live event. Relevant literature was used to provide additional context when needed.

Raptor Monitoring and Minimization Technologies

Title	Author	Date Sort ascending	Content Type	Technology	Stressor	Receptor
Avian and Bat Fatality Rates at Old-Generation and Repowered Wind Turbines in California	Smallwood, K., Karas, B.	September 2009	Journal Article	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Raptors, Birds, Bats
Map-Based Repowering of the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area Based on Burrowing Owl Burrows, Raptor Flights, and Collisions with Wind Turbines	Smallwood, K., Neher, L.	August 2009	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Birds, Raptors
Annual Report for the Maple Ridge Wind Power Project Postconstruction Bird and Bat Fatality Study - 2007	Jain, A., Kerlinger, P., Curry, R., Slobodnik, L.	May 2009	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Bats, Birds, Ground-Nesting Birds, Passerines, Raptors, Shorebirds, Waterfowl
Avian and Bat Protection Plan: Iberdrola Renewables	Iberdrola Renewables	October 2008	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change	Bats, Birds, Raptors
How Ecofriendly are Wind Farms?	Cohn, J.	July 2008	Journal Article	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision, Avoidance, Attraction	Raptors, Birds, Bats
Bird Mortality in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area, California	Smallwood, K., Thelander, C.	January 2008	Journal Article	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Raptors, Birds
Burrowing Owl Mortality in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area	Smallwood, K., Thelander, C., Morrison, M., Rugge, L.	July 2007	Journal Article	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Raptors, Birds
Biglow Canyon Wind Farm: Wildlife Monitoring and Mitigation Plan	Portland General Electric Company, Oregon Department of Energy	May 2007	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision, Habitat Change	Bats, Birds, Raptors
Nocturnal Behavior of Raptors at Wind Energy Facilities	Castle, J.	May 2007	Thesis	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Birds, Raptors
Interim Summary on the Effectiveness of the Winter Period Turbine Shutdown in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area	Erickson, W., Strickland, D.	April 2007	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Birds, Raptors
Eagle Owl and Wind Power development at Karmøy, Western Norway	Rov, N., Jacobsen, K.	March 2007	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision, Displacement	Birds, Raptors
A Review of the Impacts of Wind Farms on Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus and an Estimation of Collision Avoidance Rates	Whitfield, D., Madders, M.	August 2006	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Avoidance, Collision, Displacement	Birds, Raptors
The Effects of Wind Turbines on Antipredator Behavior in California Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi)	Rabin, L., Coss, R., Owings, D.	August 2006	Journal Article	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Noise, Collision, Avoidance	Terrestrial Mammals, Raptors, Ecosystem Processes, Birds
Upland Raptors and the Assessment of Wind Farm Impacts	Madders, M., Whitfield, D.	March 2006	Journal Article	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision, Avoidance	Raptors, Birds
Impacts of Wind Farms on Birds in Evros and Rhodopi, Greece: Preliminary results	Ruiz, G., Poirazidis, K., Schindler, S.	January 2006	Conference Paper	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision, Displacement	Birds, Raptors
Resident Golden Eagle Ranging Behaviour Before and After Construction of a Windfarm in Argyll	Walker, D., McGrady, M., McCluskie, A., Madders, M., McLeod, D.	January 2005	Journal Article	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision, Habitat Change	Birds, Raptors
Behavior of Red-Tailed Hawks in a Wind Turbine Development	Hoover, S., Morrison, M.	January 2005	Journal Article	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Raptors, Birds
Behavioural and Environmental Correlates of Soaring-Bird Mortality at On-Shore Wind Turbines	Barrios, L., Rodríguez, A.	February 2004	Journal Article	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision, Displacement	Birds, Raptors
Developing Methods To Reduce Bird Mortality In The Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area	Smallwood, K., Thelander, C.	January 2004	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement	Birds, Raptors
Bird Risk Behaviors and Fatalities at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area: Period of Performance: March 1998 - December 2000	Thelander, C., Smallwood, K., Rugge, L.	December 2003	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision, Avoidance, Attraction	Raptors, Birds
Collision Potential of Eiders and Other Birds Near a Proposed Windfarm at St. Lawrence Island, October-November 2002	Day, R., Rose, J., Ritchie, R., Shook, J., Cooper, B.	March 2003	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Seabirds, Raptors, Birds
Avian and Bat Mortality Associated with the Initial Phase of the Foote Creek Rim Windpower Project, Carbon County, Wyoming November 1998-June 2002	Young, D. Jr., Erickson, W., Good, R., Strickland, M., Johnson, G.	January 2003	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Bats, Birds, Passerines, Raptors, Shorebirds, Waterfowl
Comparison of Avian Responses to UV-Light-Reflective Paint on Wind Turbines	Young, D., Erickson, W., Strickland, M., Good, R., Sernka, K.	January 2003	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Lighting, Collision, Avoidance	Raptors, Birds
A Roadmap for PIER Research on Avian Collisions with Wind Turbines in California	Sterner, D.	December 2002	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Bats, Birds, Raptors
Collision Mortality of Local and Migrant Birds at a Large-Scale Wind-Power Development on Buffalo Ridge, Minnesota	Johnson, G., Erickson, W., Strickland, M., Shepherd, M., Shepherd, D., Sarappo, S.	August 2002	Journal Article	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Birds, Ground-Nesting Birds, Passerines, Raptors, Seabirds, Shorebirds, Waterfowl
Golden Eagles in a Perilous Landscape: Predicting the Effects of Mitigation for Wind Turbine Blade Strike Mortality	Hunt, G.	July 2002	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Attraction, Avoidance, Collision	Birds, Raptors
An Assessment of the Impacts of Green Mountain Power Corporation's Wind Power Facility on Breeding and Migrating Birds in Searsburg, Vermont: July 1996-July 1998	Kerlinger, P.	March 2002	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Habitat Change, Collision, Avoidance	Raptors, Passerines, Birds
Novar Windfarm Ltd Ornithological Monitoring Studies: Breeding Bird and Birdstrike Monitoring 2001 Results & 5-Year Review	Bioscan	November 2001	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Birds, Ground-Nesting Birds, Passerines, Raptors
Avian Collisions with Wind Turbines: A Summary of Existing Studies and Comparisons to Other Sources of Avian Collision Mortality in the United States	Erickson, W., Johnson, G., Strickland, M., Young, D., Sernka, K., Good, R.	August 2001	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Attraction, Collision	Birds, Passerines, Raptors
Proceedings of the National Avian - Wind Power Planning Meeting IV	NWCC Avian Subcommittee	May 2001	Conference Paper	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision, Habitat Change	Bats, Birds, Raptors
Avian Risk Behavior and Fatalities at the Altamont Wind Resource Area: March 1998 to February 1999	Thelander, C., Rugge, L.	May 2000	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Raptors, Birds
Ponnequin Wind Energy Project: Reference Site Avian Study	Kerlinger, P., Curry, R., Ryder, R.	April 2000	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Habitat Change, Collision, Avoidance	Raptors, Passerines, Ground-Nesting Birds, Birds
Avian Monitoring and Risk Assessment at Tehachapi Pass and San Gorgonio Pass Wind Resource Areas, California: Phase 1 Preliminary Results	Anderson, R., Strickland, D., Tom, J., Neumann, N., Erickson, W., Cleckler, J., Mayorga, G., Nuhn, G., Leuders,A., Schneider, J., Backus, L., Becker, P., Flagg, N.	January 2000	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Attraction, Collision	Birds, Raptors
A Population Study of Golden Eagles in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area: Population Trend Analysis 1994-1997	Hunt, W., Jackman, R., Hunt, T., Driscoll, D., Culp, L.	June 1999	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Raptors, Birds
A Population Study of Golden Eagles in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area: Second-Year Progress Report	Predatory Bird Research Group	July 1997	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Birds, Raptors
Using a Collision Model to Design Safer Wind Turbine Rotors for Birds	Tucker, V.	November 1996	Journal Article	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Raptors, Birds
A Continued Examination of Avian Mortality in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area	Orloff, S., Flannery, A.	June 1996	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Birds, Raptors
A Pilot Golden Eagle Population Study in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area California	Predatory Bird Research Group	May 1995	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision, Displacement	Birds, Raptors
Whirly Birds	Linn, A.	March 1995	Magazine Article	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Raptors, Birds
Assessment of Avian Use and Mortality Related to Wind Turbine Operations, Altamont Pass, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, California, September 1988 through August 1989, Final Report	Howell, J., Didonato, J.	November 1991	Report	Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind	Collision	Birds, Raptors